It pains me to write this, but I'm wondering if others are having similar experiences. I've been a life long Toyota fan, but our RX is really challenging that. We bought an 09 new late in 2009 and it now has about 87K on it. My experience with every Toyota I've had is that generally taking care of it (i.e. fluid changes, general wear items replaced) easily carries them to 100,000 miles. Not so with our RX. Here's the list:

1. Wheel Bearing (~50K miles) - Wrote this one off as a fluke. We hit a pot-hole or something like that. It was under warranty so we only had to deal with the inconvenience of getting it fixed.

2. Blown High Pressure Oil Line (~75K) - Luckily my wife was near a toyota dealership and was able to get it there before any serious damage. To Lexus's credit, they reimbursed us for the repair even though we were out of warranty. Sounds like it's a bigger problem than just ours, as we just received a "warranty enhancement" letter for just this issue. Be sure to get yours checked before it strands you...

3. Radio - On hot days, the radio shows jibberish on the display and none of the controls work. Only once the car cools a bit does it resolve itself.

4. Random Seat Belt Warning - While driving, the seat belt warning will suddenly ding as if the driver's seat belt is not connected.

5. Memory Seats (new this morning!) - The memory button only moves the steering wheel, not the seat anymore. The power seat still works fine, but the memory button doesn't move it anymore.

6. Sticky Rear Hatch - This has always been a problem, but only happens when the car is cold. I could never get the dealer to see what I was talking about since the car warms by the time we get there. The hatch opening is sort of rough when it's cold. Tough to describe. It was never a big deal, so I never pushed it.

And that's not to mention the numerous recalls/warranty extensions for other problems. Anyways, just wondering if we had a lemon, or if Toyota/Lexus is loosing its touch on reliability. We are likely moving towards trading this car in at this point. It's unfortunate, as this was my wife's dream car before we bought it. We had intended that this would be a 10 year car, but now less than 5 years in, I'm starting to hate it. I'm not saying we've dumped a ton of money into this car. The two major issues were covered. What bothers me more is the little things (3 thru 6). These are annoying problems that would likely cost a ton to fix. So they don't get fixed and we start to hate the car because of them!

 

Howdy, the only issue we have in common is the sticky rear hatch but mine isn't weather/temperature dependent. I just put some lubricant (e.g., silicone grease) on the rubber seal and it seemed to do the trick. Might also try lubricating the hydraulic rods that raise and lower the hatch. Here's my 2 cents on the other issues:

I don't know about the wheel bearing failure but do a search on this forum and the special interest > maintenance forum and you might find something.

Check out this thread about the blown oil line https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-pictures.html .

Since your radio issues only happen on hot days, it probably has to do with the expansion of a part/wire that causes the circuitry and display to mess up.

Seat belt warning and seat memory, more electrical issues.

Good luck!

 

The hatch is more of a mechanical issue for us. It's like something isn't aligned properly in the latching mechanism. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with the seal or hydraulic. There's kind-of a creaking noise when it opens.

I'm sure the radio/seat belt warning and seat memory are electrical. I'm very much a DIY type, but this is a daunting issue to me. I just don't see wasting all that time trying to track that one down. I've searched those out on the forum and unfortunately I don't see any direct posts about any of those issues. Without a decent lead of where to look, it may be time to punt on this car.

 

The drivers seat belt warning is a safety feature and completely normal. I misread your posting you have the belt fastened and it still sounds a warning. Since it is a part of the safety features of the vehicle I would think Lexus would repair at no cost.

 

The memory seat and seat belt warning could be a computer issue. OR if you combine those two with the radio, does your car have wiring problems. Are you near any lakes or ocean? Any signs of corrosion elsewhere?

 

I wouldn't think corrosion would be an issue. It's garage stored and no where near water. How would you even diagnose a computer problem?

 

I bought a 2009 CPO in 2012 and have had some of the same issues

1) Front headlight condensation (replaced under warranty)
2) Gibberish on radio. Wife took a pic when it happened and it was replaced under CPO warranty

I have 2 months left on the CPO warranty and I will check out the oil pressure line.

I am looking for pointers on what to test/check before the warranty runs out. Thanks in advance !

 

You sound pretty reasonable so you may try to write Lexus about the radio/seatbelt issue.They were responsive to my issue and had a manager call me several days later. I'd like to think they would like to keep you as a customer as this was your wifes dream car.
Good luck.